Wound Care Clinic Now Offered at Virginia Gay Hospital

Wound care usually requires multiple visits and those visits can happen over a weeks or months. Now patients of Virginia Gay can get the wound care they need without making a trip after trip to Cedar Rapids or Waterloo for treatment.

“In addition to eliminating travel, another advantage we offer patients,” says Brandi Bresson, one of Virginia Gay’s board certified wound care nurses, “ is closer coordination of the patient’s care with their primary care provider and other professionals.” Brandi recently completed her coursework and certification with another Virginia Gay nurse, Melissa Sivola.

Melissa shared that in addition to the patient’s primary care provider, the two wound care nurses also work closely with Virginia Gay’s therapy services department. “Lymphodema is a common condition for many patients with wound issues. Often the lymphatic system breaks down and isn’t draining fluid the way it should. When the lymph system isn’t working properly the rate of healing can be slowed, so Stacey Hodges, who is a certified lymphedemeologist, works with the patients to speed up the healing process.”

In addition to lymphatic treatments involving a very light touch, Stacey also uses a lymphatic pump to further improve lymph function. “If you don’t have a lymphatic system moving the fluid, or if a clogged system is preventing blood flow due to swelling, you’re just not going to get the healing you want to see,” said Stacey.